#1: TOP (3) UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL MALE 2019 – CHRONIC LAW
The member of the 6ix with the greatest lyrical skills is not Squash, it’s Chronic Law, making waves as one of the best new generation singjays to come out of Jamaica’s East side. Representing from the parish of Portland, Ackeme Campbell, 26, AKA Chronic Law, and current member of the 6ix. Full of lyrics and freestyle ability, Chronic Law is amplified by a huge fan base in the St. James parish, the acclaimed home of the famous 6ix Montego Bay dancehall crew, headed by fellow newcomer Squash.
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Even though most fans have only recently become familiar with Chronic Law, his first recording, ‘War Dem A Ask Fah’, goes back to 2009. Today, Chronic Law sits behind a number of chart-topping singles, including his monster hit, ‘Government’, and current chart topper, ‘Hillside’. Other current Chronic Law movers and shakers include the popular ‘Style‘, and ‘Bless Me‘.
Chronic Law is not a ‘pretty boy’ artist, as a matter of fact, he is a little bigger, or dare I say, fatter than the average dancehall artist. But when you first hear Chronic Law, or when seeing him perform live, one has no choice but to be impressed and say – wow! That’s how good this artist is. He has the ability to make people believe what they are hearing.
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Chronic Law is quickly establishing himself as the new ‘master‘ of lyrical badness, the best of the ‘brand new‘ generation dancehall artists, the one holding up the 6ix, offering the best flow, the newest lyrical styles, and the one who demonstrates the most potential to succeed based on their own God-given talent.
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Rumoured to be already sitting on a song library of over 100 songs, Chronic Law is said to be capable of belting out over four songs a day when he chooses, with each one sounding original. The majority of these songs may be lyrically aggressive, but because he’s been through everything, Chronic Law is entitled to singjay about ‘anything‘. As a further sign of growth, he has, lately, been deviating beyond his usual catalogue of badman tunes, and making music designed to be more popular with the ladies, music with a more radio friendly appeal.
Artists like Chronic Law as well as other current and former members of the 6ix, are symbols of a dividing line separating new premiering artists from the traditional older artists that once ruled the dancehalls but are now systematically elbowed out. Our current dancehall is experiencing a metamorphosis of sorts, where it’s all about what’s ‘new’, starting from what you’re wearing straight to what artist you’re endorsing.
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When somebody new or hot comes along, the current generation of young dancehall trendsetters tend to gravitate to them, especially if these artists are relatable or popular. Chronic Law, Squash, and newest member Daddy 1, are perfect examples of this change in pattern; a current new dividing line eroding a playing field famous for extensive stagnation, non-inclusion and expunction.
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Thanks primarily to the 6ix and their influential appeal, Jamaica is now trending with a new trap-dancehall sound. Gone are the traditional reggae riddims with the string of 15-20 artists on them, and in is a new style where beats replace riddims, and the songs released are structured to be more catchy and poppy, with more crossover potential and ‘American’ appeal. From a production point of view, it’s simplicity at it’s finest, the only place where old styles and new styles sit on the same plateau. But everything else is different, including the employment of currently changing marketing and branding strategies.
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Today’s new artists, including the 6ix, are going after a hip-pop look, to some extent ,they are fashionably emulating and idealizing the way America’s top Rap and Urban pop stars outfit themselves. Posing with bottles of Moet and Crystal in posh party environments, being surrounded and adored by sexy beautifully attired young women, it seems, is the new image, the new ‘norm’. Of course, we need some ganja smoke for the set, and bling up the artists in the room!
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Says Problem Child (Don Rankin): ‘Maybe that’s what people want, maybe if all these components are put together, you have the crossover hit-making formula. It’s the Squash look, the Squash influence as a singjay. It appeals to the ladies.‘
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One thing is for sure – there is a new ageist playing field established in our dancehall, and artists who fail to stay updated, change with the times, and switch up their game are in danger of becoming irrelevant and extinct, systematically exited out.
It’s hard today to understand how our current young generation of dancehall fans think. As elders, we can criticize them for having set the bar lower for performance and lyricism, but why do ‘we’ get the right to judge? Music has always been relative, subjective, free for personal consumption and interpretation.
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Now, lyrically, the generation gap has widened – as we transition into a new decade, coming with it are new guards. Arguably, if our older-wiser dancehall intellects and guardians find today’s messages and sound unrelatable or undesirable, could it be because we don’t represent their experiences and values?
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Problem Child (Don Rankin Sound) explains it this way; ‘It’s all about frequency. We’re thinking analogue, they’re thinking digital. We can’t figure them out because we’re not young enough to understand their frequency, the way they’re thinking. Me and you, we’re shut out of it, we cannot understand it – but ask your teenage son or daughter, and I bet you they will’.
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Congratulations to Chronic Law, our ReggaeMania.com Award winner for ‘Best Upcoming International Artist 2019′.
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